This morning I want to talk to you about the miracle working power of the Lord. If you have confessed Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you know something about having a miracle take place.
Personally, I know that Jesus has miraculously saved my soul from eternal judgment. He is my Savior.
And this is truly our greatest blessing we can have.
Question: Did you know that Christ will always be near you to save you from the bondage of the devil?
Text: Acts 12:5 thru 9
Prayer:
Many of you know there can be times (in our lives) when we can be faced with false accusations.
At first we may think this is nonsense.
Then it begins to interfere with our day-to-day life.
Then we realize it is a spiritual attack from the enemy.
At first our physical well being may be put at risk.
Our lives can be threatened to the point of death.
Things go from bad to worse, and become dangerous.
This is evidenced in the Bible. We are clearly warned that the devil is a thief. Jesus tells us in John 10:10
"The thief (has come) to steal…to kill, and to destroy.
This should not frighten us, but we should be warned.
If it were not for Christ Who has come to rescue and save us from the hands of the devil, any of us could loose everything we hold dear to us. Our jobs, our possessions, our health, our families, even our souls.
Thank God for His Grace and Mercy that will save us!
I have seen a simple misunderstanding take place, only to be twisted by someone who dislikes us. One thing can lead to another, and suddenly we are being persecuted for our faith in Christ.
One more caution. For those without Christ, bondage can come and steal from them, and haunt them until they’re not sure if they will ever be the same again.
Without Christ, a person can live in a false sense of security and believe that life is good. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, they are robbed of their good times and the freedoms they once took for granted.
The Good News today is that we have the Grace of God that has come to save us from the perils of life.
My friend, listen carefully.
It is the Grace of God that rescues a sinner from:
· The darkness and devastation of sin
· The tyranny and destruction of the devil.
· The pride and foolishness of men.
· The rejections, fears, and the loneliness of our own heart.
Some of you know (first hand) what it means to be a prisoner of your own soul. This is real bondage.
Perhaps, you have been held captive by your own fears and insecurities. Others of you have been held captive without even knowing it. Perhaps, you have been held captive by your own doubt and disbelief.
Nevertheless, God’s Mercy and Grace has come to set you free. God has a way out for you this morning.
The Grace of God will save you from eternal judgment and condemnation. Only the sovereign hand of the Lord can set you free today from being bound with guilt and condemnation! In place of bondage, God wants to give you His abundant joy and peace.
We can see this with this wonderful story of deliverance. We can see that Peter was:
· Rescued from prison by a great miracle. Delivered!
· So overwhelmed by being set free (from His death sentence) that he thought he had only seen a vision (or a dream).
At first, Peter was wrong. He though this was a vision.
A vision from God will:give to you a supernatural insight or awareness/revelation.
The purpose of visions is to give guidance and direction to God’s servants and to foretell the future. That is, what will happen.
We are studying (Sunday nights) that we need vision. We need the “Revelation” of what God is going to do.
What Peter was experiencing was more than a vision. Peter soon realized that what the angel of the Lord had done was a miracle.
A miracle from God will: demonstrate/prove God’s awesome presence and power, His holy justice(right the wrong) and righteousness, His saving Grace, and His eternal Glory.
However you want to spell it out, God’s miracles will never operate with mystical illusions. Miracles are authentic works of God’s angels and the Holy Spirit.
This is just what Peter needed. A miracle from God.
This is just what the early Christians needed.
A miracle could be just what you need today.
This morning, you may know what Peter went through. Your back maybe literally against the wall. You may have no where to go. Your hands are bound in chains.
Consider this: Peter went to sleep that night thinking that he soon wake up only to face his execution.
How could Peter sleep that night?
Peter knew Herods’ hatred towards the Christians, but he also knew he could trust God in any circumstance.
Herod –
· Was determined to destroy Peter’s life.
· Would not be content with the ordinary means of keeping his prisoner in custody.
· Had Peter put into the strongest prison in Jerusalem, and just to make sure, Peter is chained not to one soldier, but to two.
There was no way Peter would escape the grip of bondage. Peter was a prize catch for Herod.
The capture of Peter would give Herod great pleasure. Herod would be a hero to everyone. The Romans, the Jews and the Gentiles. Everyone but the Christians.
Herod had previously put to death James, the great servant of Christ. But now to have Simon Peter, as well? Peter was the pillar of the New Testament Church!
Let me assure you that whatever you are faced with in life, God knows your need, and He will always know when time is running out for you. Listen to what the Lord spoke through Peter in his second letter.
II Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God will do His part and He will be there on time for us.
Likewise, we must pray as those prayed for Peter.
I can hear the prayers of those saints as they pleaded for their brother in Christ,
“Lord save Peter! You know how much we love him. Lord Jesus, you have promised us, “upon this rock, I will build my church.” We have lost James, don’t let Herod take Peter from us.”
God heard their cry for Peter’s salvation. Even though the church did not hear an answer from God, they continued to pray through for their brother held in bondage. The night is long. Time is running out.
Their faith and their prayers for Peter grow stronger.
Asleep in that cold and dark dungeon, Peter has trusted the Lord to either save him or take him home. He is without a care in the world. There was NO FEAR! With Christ at your side, there is NO FEAR!
Peter is willing to die for Christ, just as Christ died for him.
And finally at the darkest hour of the night, a light from the portals of heaven shines down and pierces the darkness surrounding God’s child. Peter is awakened.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Friend, God is never too late. He’s always on time.
Peter doesn’t know what to say or what is going on.
He is living in that “joy unspeakable and full of Glory.” There never has been a preacher who could ever explain that kind of joy. We can only hope and expect to experience God’s incredible joy.
At that moment when we think all is lost, and there seems to be nothing else we can do, God shows up with a miracle of deliverance. The greater the impossibility, the greater Glory we shall see. Amen?
Closing:
Likewise, it was man’s darkest hour that Christ faced His death. You see, Christ was arrested and executed.
He did loose His life for us.
It was there on Mt. Calvary that Christ never gave up hope on God’s Glory being there just in time.
The Glory of our Savior was revealed to all of mankind.
The Romans had put their strongest men to watch over the tomb where Christ lay. They sealed it with a stone so He could not be delivered from the grave.
They tried to keep Christ in the bondage of the tomb and death. But a miracle took place.
Just at the right moment. His death and resurrection is MORE THAN A MIRCACLE.
God sent His angels and the Resurrected Christ was delivered by the Glory of God.
God’s deliverance will always be
MORE THAN A MIRACLE!
It is salvation for our souls. We have been released from the bondage of sin and wickedness. We are delivered from the grips of hell itself. We are set free from the sentence of death our enemy has put on us!
